The Pineapple & Button Co. Planner starts to take shape!

July 16, 2015July 16, 2015 hansjones4 Comments

As you will know from my first planner blog a couple of weeks ago, I shared that my stationery addiction had taken me to another level, another world, another dimension!

You will also recall that whilst I am very keen to grab this obsession with both hands and embrace it, I don’t want to get too passionate too quickly. So I decided to use my love of scrapbooking and inspiration from the amazing planner community to create my own on a budget.

The process was fairly easy once I had racked up hours and hours of ” research” on YouTube, Pinterest, Etsy and fellow bloggers. Dashboards, dividers, paperclips, page markers, inserts…..I had a lot to achieve with this new planner but I was pretty certain how I wanted it to look and the purpose it would fulfil.

First stop – Staples. I picked up a Martha Stewart A5 2-ring binder. It was quite the bargain (of course!) reduced to £5. It would be the perfect way to house my planner until I had decided that this passion was long term.

As there was a lack of pockets on the inside of the planner, I needed (actually, wanted) to create a layout that was both practical and creative.

I scoured the shelves at TK Maxx and found some great pads of craft paper for around £5. Gold paperclips from Rymans (although I now know you can buy cheaper online) and my piece de la resistance – the Pineapple notepad from Paperchase!

Having watched some of you share your amazing setups, I was pretty certain on what the finished product would look like. I placed the Pineapple notepad on the inside cover for easy access. And to make sure it stood out, I placed some craft paper behind it – all of this was secured using double sided sticky tape.

The pocket was created by simply folding the double sided card and securing again with double sided tape and the paperclips were made following tutorials on YouTube. I also created some paperclip page flags using complimenting craft paper. The bow is from my superb stationery swap pal!

The back inside cover also needed some attention and I thought it would be the best place for a dashboard. Using the same techniques as the front inside cover, I created a wide vertical pocket to house Project Life cards and secured an array of sticky notes. In order to make sure they didn’t move, I had to use double sided sticky tape which means that I will probably need to replace the whole pocket once I’ve used them all. The pen loop was added and made extra wide to fit multiple pens.

I loved the process of deciding on the colour scheme and being able to add my own slice of creativity to an already creative world. It took me time and I will certainly admit that my perfectionist side didn’t cope well when lines were wonky or not symmetrical. But what I have learnt along the way is to embrace some of those imperfections.

“Imperfection is beauty, madness is genius and it’s better to be absolutely ridiculous than absolutely boring!” – Marilyn Monroe

This planner may not be to everyones taste but I have fallen head over heels – my planner was taking shape and I couldn’t wait to use it. Next stop inserts…..

What are your favourite planner YouTube channels? Where do you get your inspiration from?

x PB x

First Impressions – Notepads and Pens galore!

June 30, 2015June 30, 2015 hansjonesLeave a comment

Just a quick post to share my thoughts on some of my recent purchases that I shared in the recent stationery blog.

I have been using the List Book from Paperchase pretty much every day. The fact it comes with a notepad makes it super versatile for on the move and it doesn’t get squished in the bottom of my bag either! 20150630_082755614_iOS

For the smaller handbag requirements, I have been loving the Marks and Spencer Today notepad and the Target Dollar Spot floral journal from the swap. Both look cute (in fact had a couple of compliments from fellow commuters) but are also very practical. I highly recommend if you stumble across either (or both! 😉).

I have also been using the Sharpie pastel palette pens – whilst the colours are great and make your pages look summery and inviting, they do bleed through regular notepad paper. Most Sharpies will do this because of their original purpose of being a multi tasking pen for writing on CD’s to whiteboards so it is worth bearing this in mind. I can cope with that given the colour palette is a beaut!

I have also been writing……and then erasing a lot too! The Pilot Frixon pen is all its hype led it to believe. You can actually write and then erase with pretty much all of the evidence disappeared. It reminded me of the magic ink from my childhood that “vanished”……although it never really did. This actually does scrub away to nothing. I am definitely going back to purchase more colours. The range seems to be expanding in most standard UK stores – most have standard blue, black and red but keep your eye out for more colourful options.

The only items I have been a little disappointed with are the Uniball gel pens. I love the colours but they aren’t particularly easy to write with. I prefer pens that you can write both in your best hand as well as the quick shopping list but with these Uniball, you certainly need to concentrate more with these pens. I will of course have a use for them – great for birthday cards for example – but would suggest a thinner nib if you are looking for something to fulfil those every day needs.

Have any of you made the same purchases and have thoughts on your first impressions?

Please leave a comment by clicking on the link above this post And don’t forget, you can find us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

x PB x

The obsession is real…..I’ve started writing about hauls!

June 23, 2015June 22, 2015 hansjones2 Comments

And I have a stationery swap pal! But more on that shortly….

In my search for all things perfect about stationery and style, this has developed an interest in regularly shopping. “Developed an interest”?? Who am I kidding. I am forever shopping. There ain’t no thing as no spend months in my little world.

So, to that end, I have collected a fair few items over the past few months which I thought I would share. Those pieces that I have starting using will appear in a follow first impressions so watch this space if you are keen to purchase the same.

First up – notebooks. Although I try to use up a notebook before moving onto another, that doesn’t stop me from having stock. In a recent visit to Paperchase, I spotted these adorable sticky note sets. I love that they come in a hard back storage book making them using to use on the go without damaging them. They also look cute on a bookshelf. One of the sets is a List Book so also includes a standard notepad which I think will be super handy. 20150620_190924007_iOS

I also picked up a pack of Cath Kidston notebooks which come in a set of three in their usual cute floral designs. These are probably more an A6 size which is great for slipping into a handbag. I use these in meetings if I’m travelling quite a bit with work. You can still get plenty of content on the pages but they are far more convenient than the usual Black and Red A4 pads.

So, my next item was purchased purely for its look rather than its practicality but how cute is that Today slim pad!? It’s from Marks and Spencer – that was a treat! If you are from the UK, you will know that M&S are more renowned for their bras and meal for £10 so it was a pleasant surprise to see that they have upped their stationery game. The store I visited, which is their flagship in the South, had a wide collection of new products so I would highly recommend checking it out either online or in store. I’m not sure about availability for overseas but, leading into my next items, you could always find a swap partner to connect with to send you a selection!

As you will guess from the title, I recently connected with a lovely lady from the U.S. on an FB group. Fully aware from my extensive research that the U.S. seem to do it better than us, I reached out to see if anyone would like to swap and this lady said yes!

We did our first swap a few weeks ago – it was an easy, pleasant and painless experience which I know is sadly not always the case for some, but I hit lucky!

The items included in the box will continue to feature in my next few blogs but as a starter, she sent me 2 adorable journals and 2 list pads from Target. Apologies to all the stationery experts out there, but for those starting out, you will see a lot of hype about Target Dollar Spot. I have not visited this part of the store before as I always just thought it was seasonal products but the Target Dollar Spot has got a lot to say for itself! Beautiful stationery that retails around $1-$3 each!! I haven’t started using these items yet, saving for a special reason but I’ll be sure to feedback.

You can’t have a notebook without a writing instrument! So I have also built up my pen collection recently. Included in the swap box were some cute gel pens in pink, teal and green. I particularly love the heart on the lid.

Other recent pen purchases – pastel Sharpies! I have seen their primary colour collection but spotted these pastel beauties in the line up at Paperchase.

I also love any type of heavy gel pen and these uni ball are just gorgeous colours which I know will write well too.

Finally, I had heard on the blogging grapevine that the Pilot Frixon pens were awesome. So I had to try! I just purchased the pink neon for now and will see how I get on.

You can find links to all purchases below.

Have any of you swapped with someone recently and been super chuffed with the contents?

Any recent purchases that you would like to share too?

Please comment clicking above this post. Also, remember to find us on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter!

x PB x

http://www.cathkidston.com/cath-kidston/set-of-3-clifton-rose-notebooks-1012698

http://www.paperchase.co.uk/stationery/essentials/sticky-notes/blur-floral-boxed-sticky-notes.html

http://www.paperchase.co.uk/stationery/essentials/sticky-notes/chunky-floral-sticky-notes-book.html

http://www.marksandspencer.com/geometric-shopping-list/p/p22367946

http://www.staples.co.uk/fine-permanent-markers-pastel-colours-assorted-x-4/cbs/416339.html

http://www.pilotpen.co.uk/en/must-have/frixion-family.html

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